1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coffee processing machine, and particularly, to a multi-stage coffee grinder and brewer having continuous coffee brewing and automatic filter cleaning capabilities.
2. Description of the Related Art
A key factor in obtaining and enhancing the maximum amount of enjoyment possible when having a cup of freshly brewed coffee is the aroma. It is a well established fact that the sense of smell greatly increases the flavor of either food or beverage. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the aroma of freshly brewed coffee is essential to achieving total satisfaction when consuming a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Because the flavor of coffee rapidly deteriorates after the coffee is ground or after the vacuum seal on the coffee can is broken, it is important that the full flavor of the coffee be captured as quickly as possible.
Given the popularity of freshly brewed coffee at home, at work, in restaurants, and in the food service industry in general, there exist a need for a coffee maker that is easy to clean and maintain and that produces freshly brewed coffee with a rich and full aroma and taste that is easy to make. However, the prior art does not describe any process or coffee maker that provides a person with a highly aromatic freshly brewed cup of coffee at any time.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,502 issued on Jan. 28, 1992 to Kazuo Enomoto describes a coffee making machine that automatically produces coffee from unroasted coffee beans. The coffee making machine consists of a roaster for holding the coffee beans and roasting the coffee beans, a milling/extracting unit for grinding the roasted coffee beans into ground coffee and extracting coffee solution from the ground coffee, a blower for blowing air into the milling/extracting unit to cool the roasted coffee beans before they are ground, and a pouring unit for pouring hot water onto the ground coffee to extract a coffee solution that is received by a coffee server.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,507 issued on Dec. 7, 1993 to Kazuo Enomoto describes a coffee maker that is easily cleaned after brewing and that easily disposes of used coffee grounds. Thus, the coffee maker is immediately capable of being reused. The fully automatic coffee maker provides freshly brewed coffee from raw coffee beans through a process of roasting, grinding, and brewing the coffee. The coffee maker consists of a roaster that roasts the raw coffee beans, a cooling means for cooling the coffee beans roasted by the roaster, a grinding means for grinding the beans and supplying the ground coffee, and a heating and a water supply means that heats and supplies the water from a water tank, and a decanter that functions as a receptacle for the brewed coffee.
Making a cup of coffee requires placing a drip filter in the filter basket and securing the filter basket to the ceiling part of the decanter placement space. The ground coffee beans are drop supplied through the drop supply opening in the ceiling part of the decanter placement space into the filter basket while hot water is also drop supplied through drop supply openings in the ceiling part of the decanter into the filter basket. The brewed coffee is then dripped into the decanter. For reuse the coffee maker requires opening the filter basket and removing the filter along with the coffee grounds, and inserting a new filter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,705 issued on Feb. 15, 1994 to Donald R. Buttle et al describes a beverage mixing apparatus such as a coffee grinding and brewing apparatus that includes the transportation of a predetermined amount of a solid component of a beverage mixture from a storage compartment to and through a passageway into a mixing chamber wherein the liquid component of the beverage is mixed with the solid component. The apparatus has a valve assembly associated with the passageway and having a plate movable between a closed position and an open position. When the plate is in its open position the solid component can be moved from the storage chamber to the mixing chamber, and when the plate is in its closed position, the plate prevents moisture from the mixture from moving to the storage chamber through the passageway.
The Buttle et al patent further discloses that the typical combination coffee grinding and brewing apparatus employs a hopper that upon a signal discharges beans into a proportioning device that measures the desired quantity of beans. The beans are then transferred to a grinder that grinds the beans to a desired consistency after which the ground coffee is delivered to a filter within the brewing basket immediately before hot water is sprayed over the coffee grounds. Moisture emanating from the hot water tank and brewing basket can reach the interior of the grinder assembly. Wetting of the coffee grounds prior to reaching the brewing basket is undesirable, particularly when the coffee grounds are still in the grinder itself because the moisture causes problems with the proper distribution of the ground coffee to the brew basket; in addition, the brew basket is difficult to clean.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,932 issued on Nov. 7, 1995 to Allen W. Olson describes a coffee maker that includes a housing that supports a coffee grinder for grinding coffee beans, and a brewer that includes a reservoir for holding water, a filter basket for receiving ground coffee beans discharged from the grinder and water from the reservoir, a pump in fluid communication with the reservoir, and a heater for heating water from the reservoir. The coffee maker also includes a thermally insulated carafe for receiving the brewed coffee from the filter basket of the brewer. A central processing unit having a memory is connected to the pump, heater, and grinder. Thus, the operation of the coffee maker is based on data stored in the memory of the central processing unit. The Olson patent discloses that ground coffee beans quickly lose their aroma and that brewed coffee in a pot loses its aroma over time.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, solve the aforementioned problems. The prior art does not describe a method of making freshly brewed coffee and a coffee maker that provides the consumer with freshly brewed coffee that has a superior aroma and taste at any time.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a coffee maker that cleans itself after each cycle of coffee making.
It is another object of the invention to provide a coffee maker and a method of making freshly brewed coffee that is fully automatic.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a coffee maker and a method of making freshly brewed coffee that prevents coffee beans from being exposed to moisture.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a coffee maker and a method of making freshly brewed coffee without having to change the coffee filter each time fresh coffee is brewed.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a coffee maker and a method of making freshly brewed coffee that automatically discards brewed coffee that is not fresh and replaces it with freshly brewed coffee.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
The present invention is a coffee processing machine that is a combination multi-stage coffee grinder and brewer. The present invention is capable of both continuous coffee brewing and automatic self-cleaning. To accomplish the foregoing objectives, the coffee maker according to this invention includes a motor section that houses a motor used to rotate an auger, a can section that is adapted for receiving coffee beans (roasted or unroasted), a grinding section that consists of a grinding system of gears that converts coffee beans received from the can section into coffee grounds, a cooking section in which hot water is automatically supplied for continuous coffee brewing, and a pot section where a removable coffee server is placed.
The grinding section is adapted to automatically clean the filter unit and the cooking section is adapted to automatically discard brewed coffee that is no longer fresh and to replace it with freshly brewed coffee.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.